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How’s everyone’s weekend going? Mine has been uneventful to say the least, but that’s ok because the next two weeks are going to be a mad whirlwind in the kitchen getting recipes perfected for Thanksgiving. Before I start sharing delicious side dishes and desserts for you to serve on turkey day I want to tell you about these super easy, Skillet Meatballs in Marinara Sauce that I made for dinner last week.
Meatballs are some of the greatest round little bites to ever be made. I love that you can flavor them with whatever herbs and spices you like and that the serving options are endless. My favorite way to eat meatballs is straight up with a fork or toothpick if I’m going the appetizer route. However, when I made these skillet meatballs for dinner I served them with toasty garlic bread for dipping in that wonderful marinara sauce. The next day, I served my husband’s meatballs over pasta and I enjoyed mine a la carte with a few extra spoonfuls of the sauce. Other ideas for serving them are on an Italian sub sandwich, cut up and added as a topping to a pizza, or you could even make them extra small and add them to a soup such as minestrone or Italian wedding soup. Like I said, the possibilities are endless!
What I haven’t mentioned yet is that these meatballs have a little secret stuffed inside of them, just waiting to ooze out. It’s name is mozzarella cheese! I absolutely love food that has something stuffed in the middle of it. It’s so exciting to bite into food and have something unexpectedly delicious hiding in the center. It’s a nice added bonus to an already delicious bite.
To make the Skillet Meatballs in Marinara Sauce I combined lean ground turkey, a beaten egg, panko breadcrumbs, garlic, basil, and oregano in a bowl. I mixed it all together then formed the meatballs. I’ve found that using a small ice cream/cookie scoop is the fastest and best way to ensure all your meatballs are the same size. While the meatball was still in the scoop I tucked a small cube of mozzarella cheese into the center then covered it up with the meat. It’s seriously such an easy method and yields wonderful results. I already had my Easy Marinara Sauce made and was storing it in the freezer so all I had to do was defrost it. If you don’t feel like making your own sauce or don’t have time, simply use your favorite store bought brand. I heated my cast iron skillet over medium high heat and sprayed it generously with cooking spray. Once the skillet was hot I added in the meatballs and browned them on each side for about 2 minutes. I then added in about three cups of the marinara sauce, turned the heat down to medium low, covered the skillet with a lid, and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes. The smell of the meatballs and sauce makes the whole house smell amazing! Once the meatballs are ready top them with shredded mozzarella cheese and then the rest is up to you. Eat them as is, stick them in a sandwich, on top of a pizza, or in a soup, just be sure to eat them!
Skillet Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey breast
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire
- 1 clove garlic grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 3 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
- 3 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the ground turkey, egg, panko, worcestershire, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper with your hands.
- Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop the meatball mixture. Take one of the pieces of cubed mozzarella and stuff it into the center of the meatball, making sure to cover the cheese completely with meat. Repeat the process until all of the meat mixture is gone.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and spray it generously with cooking spray or add a tablespoon of olive oil. Place the meatballs in the skillet and brown them for 2 minutes on each side.
- Pour the marinara sauce evenly into the skillet and turn the heat down to medium low. Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer the meatballs for 10 minutes. Top the meatballs with the shredded mozzarella and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Skillet Dinners:
Zucchini, Kale, and Sage Frittata
Lovely recipe
Thank you!
Could you give me some idea of how big in size the meatballs are.. how many does 1lb of ground turkey make. I will be cooking for quite a few people and having them buffet style. Thank you
Hi Joyce,
I usually get 20 meatballs out of 1 pound of ground turkey.
thank you.
Can you make the meatballs earlier in the day and refrigerate them uncooked?
Absolutely! Just be sure to cover them with plastic of keep in an airtight container.
How in the world did you keep your meatballs from sticking to the bottom of your skillet? I used a liberal amount of cooking spray and I have misshapen, sad looking meatballs. Luckily they’re covered in sauce and cheese, but do you have any suggestions for type A perfectionists like myself?
Hi Maris! A good skillet is important. I have a very well seasoned cast iron skillet so that definitely helps. A good non-stick skillet coated generously in the cooking spray should work as well. If you don’t have either or are finding that they are still sticking try giving it a spray halfway through the cooking or you can always just use a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Hope this helps!
It looked so yummy to be so easy and fast! The tip for the ice cream scooper was great as well!
Thanks Leslie! I have a drawer full of different sized ice cream scoops that are perfect for so many recipes!
Looked amazing and tasted amazing! So easy and delicious. Definitely saving this as a favorite recipe. Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear you liked the meatballs Erika! They are one of my favorite easy dinners!
I made this tonight and my Husband LOVES it! Thanks!
Yay! Thanks so much for trying out the recipe!
What a great recipe. Simply delicious and went right into my recipe box as my “go to” meatball recipe. I will be making it again soon and definitely will make enough to freeze some. Thanks, Connie
Thanks Connie! So happy to hear the meatball recipe made it into your recipe box! I love freezing a batch of them to pull out when I need a quick dinner.
Great recipe, love turkey mince, this is a great way of using it #TastyTuesdays
Thanks Richard!
Hi Danae. I am going to try this recipe tonight. Question- if I want to freeze some, do I freeze before I add them to the skillet to cook or after it is all done? I read a comment about freezing (which I need to do as I’m cooking for just two), but I want to be sure I do it after the correct step. Thanks for your help!
Hi Gretchen. If you plan to freeze some of the meatballs go ahead and follow the directions through step #6. Cook the meatballs in the skillet, but then remove the ones you plan to freeze before adding in the marinara sauce. Hope this helps!